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Strategies to Address Gang Crime: A Guidebook for Local Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies across the country have a new resource at their disposal as they work
to combat gang-related crime in their jurisdictions. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services (the COPS Office) has published Strategies to Address
Gang Crime: A Guidebook for Local Law Enforcement, written by Arizona State University (ASU)
criminologist Scott Decker.

“A central premise of this guidebook is that gang problems are local, and solutions must be based
on improving understanding of the nature of those problems and the immediate underlying
conditions that give rise to them,” says Carl Peed, director of the COPS Office. “Widely regarded
in the field for his research on gang activity, Dr. Decker offers sensible information for local
agencies to use in developing responses to their specific gang problem.”
Decker, professor and director of ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, says that
flexibility is critical for police agencies in devising antigang strategies. “The reality is that most
responses to problems such as gang crime do not succeed, at least in their first design,” he says.
“It is therefore important to document the process of designing and implementing a response so
that the responding jurisdiction—and others—can be more successful in the future.”
Decker’s guidebook describes the SARA model (scanning, analysis, response and assessment),
a strategic problem-solving process that originated in the private sector. “All four components of
SARA are critical; the model requires careful analysis before creating interventions,” says Decker,
who visited some three dozen cities as he conducted research to write Strategies to Address
Gang Crime.

“The gang problem is highly dynamic. It’s important to avoid developing a fixed image of a
problem that does not change as the problem changes,” Decker says. “Growing evidence shows
that sustained application of the SARA model greatly improves the law enforcement response to
gangs and leads to safer communities.”

The latest available statistics show that gangs are a huge concern across the country. A 2006
survey estimated that some 26,500 gangs and 785,000 gang members were active the United
States. The problem is not limited to large cities. While more than 85 percent of large-city law
enforcement agencies reported gang problems, more than half of suburban counties and
approximately a third of smaller cities also reported problems with gangs.
“The good news is that many police departments are improving their effectiveness at developing
and implementing problem-solving strategies,” Decker says. “We are seeing more organizations
using data-based strategic responses to issues like gang crime, rather than simply ‘putting the
same fire out’ over and over.”

Decker says his work on Strategies to Address Gang Crime is in keeping with the commitment of
the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice to address important policy issues and assist law
enforcement agencies in implementing workable crime-reduction strategies.
Housed in the College of Human Services on ASU’s West campus, the School of Criminology
and Criminal Justice offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. Details are
available at chs.asu.edu/ccj.